Western cyclone., 1887-03-31
| STARTLING CONFESSION
WILLIE SELLS ACKNOWLEDGES
HIS CRIME.
A Whole Family in Kansas Butchered
Under Circumstances of Revolt
ing AtrOcity.

81. LOUIS, No., March 23.-It viii be
recouected that year ago this month one of
the bloodiest MURDERS Or, rather, butcheries,
OF human beings known to the annals of
crime was committed near the town of
Erie, Kas. ]. w. Sell, well-to-do farmer,
and his whole family, excepting one son,
Willie. boy 16 years old, were found
murdered, their heads being crushed
md their threats cut from ear to ear.
Willie was arrested, charged with the
crime, and at the July term Of the District
court in 1885 was tried, convicted of murder
N the first degree, and sentenced to be hung,
and In conformity to the laws of that State
Is now In the penitentiary awaiting the sig
nature OF the Governor to the death-war-
rant.
1here has always been great diversity of
opinion among the people as to whether
Willie Sell committed the murder On the
trial there was no positive evidence, and the
State utterly failed to find any motive for
the crime. On the contrary, it was proven
chat Willie was an exceptionally good boy,
and that he and his sister Ina were more
than commonly fond of each other. The
neighbors all swore to the boys good dispo-
sltion, and that he was a favorite in the
community, while his brother Waty, who
was older than he, was not so generally
liked.
The matter now, however, seems to be set
at rest. The boy, after systematic urging
and pressing on the part of his guardian, has
made the following confession: "Mother and
sister Ina had gone to bed. Father, Waty,
and l were still up, when the calves got out
and came up around the house. Waty sat at
the table reading, and father had just taken
his coat and pants off to go to bed, and told
Waty to go and put the calves up. He said:
Let Willie do it. I won't go out now
Father said that he should go, and Waty
did not want to, and, while they were talk
ing, .Ient out and got the Ratchet, which
was site ing in a log Of wood out
side the door, and came back to
see if Waty would go out with me. I got
the Ratchet to nail up the calf-pen. Father
and Waty were there quarreling, and had
become very mad. When l came in where
they were, with the Ratchet, Waty snatched
it out of my hand and struck father several
times at last knocking him down. When I
saw what Waty had done l caught holt of
the Ratchet and jerked it out of his hands,
and, striking at Waty, hit him on the head
and he fell down on the floor, and supposed
that lied him. Then mother see
ing what was being done, jumped
out Of bed, screaming, and, before thought
what was doing, I struck her. Ina, my
sister, at that raised up in bed and scr 1amed,
and don't know why did it, but struck
her with he Ratchet and she fell back. They
were all lying quiet; I took of all my clothes
except my shirt and drawers, then pulled
of Waty's pants, raised him up and carried
him into the other room and put him into our
bed. After that / went back and got the
Ratchet and pounded his head all to pieces.
I felt mad at Waty because he killed
father. I went over to the cupboard
and got out the butcher-knife and
cut Waty's head nearly off. Then went
back into the other room and sat down, and
did not k ow what to do. Then I thought
that IL any Of them should come to life they
would saw killed Waty. So I took the
butcher-knife and cut their Threats to make
sure work of it. / then blew out the lamp
and sat down for several hours, but at last
could not stand it any longer and again Lit
the lamp, and, putting on my clothes, ran
over to Mr.. Mendal's and told him some one
was at our house with a Ratchet and had
hurt pa and ma"